Association starts petition to indict military officials

By Rich Chang / Staff reporter

A judicial reform association said yesterday that an online petition asking the judicial authority to indict the former military officials responsible for the wrongful execution of airman Chiang Kuo-ching (江國慶) has collected over 8,200 signatures, including that of former Democratic Progressive Party chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文).

The Judicial Reform Association said it hoped the petition would reach 10,100 signatures by Oct. 10 — Chiang’s birthday.

According to the association, the military has decided former minister of national defense Chen Chao-min (陳肇敏) and five other military officials were responsible for the wrongful execution of Chiang 15 years ago, but the Taipei District Court Prosecutors’ Office ruled Chen and others had not broken any criminal law in the case. After the Taiwan High Court Prosecutors’ Office ordered the district court prosecutors’ office to re-open an investigation, the district court prosecutors’ office came to the same conclusion again.

The association said it has represented Chiang’s mother, Wang Tsai-lien (王彩蓮), in a bid to appeal the non-indictment decision with the Taiwan High Court Prosecutors’ Office. Meanwhile, it launched the online petition to garner public support, it added.

The association said public figures such as CEO of the Humanistic Education Foundation Feng Chiao-lan (馮喬蘭), Garden of Hope Foundation chief executive Chi Hui-jung (紀惠容) and cultural critic Chang Tieh-chih (張鐵志) have signed and endorsed the appeal that justice can not be served unless the former military officials shoulder their due responsibility.

Chiang was convicted of raping and killing a five-year-old girl at Air Force Combat Command in Taipei in 1996 and was executed a year later at the age of 21. In September last year, his conviction and execution were determined to have rested on a coerced confession, with at least six officials found to have tortured him.